Playing with Beads

Alexander Genis’s new book—by the author of bestsellers “Dovlatov and the Surroundings,” “The Kamasutra of the Bookish,” and “Return Address”—as always, is written in the original genre perfectly suited for intellectual adventures. “In the grim hours of history, there is a sharp need for refuge—to catch our breath and honor the Spirit. An example for me was Hermann Hesse, who during World War II wrote the great book ‘The Glass Bead Game.’ It teaches the subtle art of stringing together—learning to read the world in eras and cultures, seeing behind an author the school they belong to, their enemies, and their neighbors. That’s how I wrote two dozen matches. They are a kind of tennis with a library that ricochets back the author’s challenge. The success of every Game depends on how long we can carry it on without crossing the boundaries of the field and without losing the force of the hit” (Alexander Genis).